The Salvation Army, Help Network, Main Street Mission and the Russellville Fire Department have joined forces to help residents in the Arkansas River Valley beat the heat this summer and minimize the number of heat-related illnesses in the area.

The organizations are collecting gently used or new fans to disperse throughout the Arkansas River Valley on May 25. Applications to receive fans may be completed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 4 at the Salvation Army office on 1004 Weir Rd.

Salvation Army and Help Network supplied fans to 164 community members last year, and they hope they can help more residents to helped this year.

“We’re hoping our cooperative effort this year will allow us to reach more individuals more efficiently,” Ed Seay, director of Help Network, said. “We also want to raise awareness of heat related death and illnesses.”

The Arkansas State Department of Health reported 17 heat-related deaths in Arkansas as of September 2011 and 22 deaths in 2012.

The elderly, people with health problems or weakened immune systems and the very young are the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.

According to the CDC, elderly people are more prone to heat stress than younger people because elderly people do not adjust a well as younger people to sudden changes in temperature and are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat. Prescription medication can also impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, or that inhibit perspiration.

“In 2010, there were 138 heat-related deaths in the U.S.,” Seay said. “That is a 300 percent increase over 2009. Of those 138, 64 were inside a home that was not adequately cooled. Seventy-three were over the age of 60.”

Air conditioning is the No. 1 protective factor against heat-related illnesses and death according to the website of the Arkansas State Department of Health.

“People can use the fans to reduce their electric bills and have more spendable income for other items,” Kelley Royal, case manager for Salvation Army, said. “In some cases a family might require more than one fan in order to maintain a comfortable living situation.”

Seay said the groups have raised $1,000 in addition to a pledge of $1,000 worth of fans from Entergy to be distributed throughout the River Valley.

Applications will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 4 at the office of the Salvation Army office. Seay said priority will be given to the elderly and then distributed among the other applicants. Applications will be processed and then the fans will be distributed on May 25.

“If we have fans left over, we will distribute those throughout the summer,” Seay said. “And we will also accept fans and donations throughout the summer also. We just want to try to combat the issue early and help as many residents as we can.”

Fans and monetary donations can be given to Help Network, The Salvation Army, Main Street Mission and any fire station in Russellville.

“Something as simple as donating money or a fan can impact a family for the entire summer and actually impact their budget, which affects their entire standard of living,” Royal said. “Food expenditures increase for many families during the summer because children are home from school. The fan program helps keep members of the community cool and protected from heat related illness, as well as, provides a way to save money for any increased expenditures they might have.”

For more information, contact Lt. Joshua Robinett at 968-5358 or Seay at 967-7890.